Helmdon Lockdown Lowdown

Reminiscences are things someone remembers from the past, and which they talk or write about. Reminiscences are often about experiences of societal change, such as wars or economic depressions, or about adventures and life’s journeys. They are an incredibly rich form of social history and are a fascinating insight into the people that make up a community.

The Helmdon History web site has been home to many reminiscences over the past twenty years, but the Helmdon Local Studies Group always wanted to do more.

In March 2020 much of the world was plunged into a lockdown due to the Coronavirus pandemic. The government told people to stay at home and only go out when absolutely necessary. It meant that people who were not working had more time on their hands and more time to think and focus. It was an ideal time to put out an appeal to Helmdon residents to put down their reminiscences.

Audrey Forgham and Danny Moody formed a project team and invitations were sent out asking people to submit a Lockdown Lowdown. The response was wonderful, with some contributors even thanking the project team for giving them something interesting and stimulating to think about during lockdown. Some are a short memory about a specific subject, whilst others are a memory of someone’s whole life. The published contributors are:

The project team would like to thank all the contributors for their wonderful reminiscences and for taking the time to put them together. If you would like to submit a reminiscence, or you know someone who could be approached for one, please contact THE HELMDON LOCAL HISTORY GROUP.